Samhain; You May Know It as Halloween

                                  SAMHAIN

or

You Might Know It as Halloween

All Hallow’s Eve; that is the way it has come down to us since historical times in Northwest Europe.  For the Roman Catholic Church it became an abomination of what they considered unholy and downright evil; all those non-Christian pagans out there, celebrating death and darkness.  The Church actually tried to co-opt the rituals of the rural peoples by creating their own version, All Saints Day.  It was the Church’s hope that they could convert the pagans to the Church by adding a Christian element to what was clearly a pre-Christian celebration.  It had worked with Christmas after all.

However, through the centuries, Samhain has been the one pre-Christian celebration that has never been successfully co-opted.  Today, on Halloween, people still dress in scary costumes, go from door to door demanding treats, or suffer the consequences of tricks.  Then once the children go to bed, the adults will often stay up all night, drinking and carousing.  Horror stories get told and people get the creeps from things that go bump in the night.  Somewhere out there are subtle energies that play with the most rational minds on this night.  On the day after, especially in the Catholic world, many of them go to the cemetery to leave flowers on the graves of those who have already moved into a new reality.  Very few of those people out there celebrating realize what they are celebrating.  Many of the ones who do in the fundamentalist world are desperately, still, trying to get Halloween stopped.  Yet, year after year, this very spooky night remains a favorite.  Why do you think that is?

The Wiccans, and other pagans out there, know why Samhain can not be stopped.  It is the time of the year when the veil between the worlds is thin, as thin as it will be throughout the year.  You have heard it before, but what does that mean?  In the Wiccan world we believe in a God and Goddess.  Samhain is the time of the year when the Final Harvest takes place, and the God becomes a gateway to other realities, opening doorways for us to view the probabilities that surround us.  The Goddess opens the Door, and we can walk through.  Samhain is the time of the year when the veils that separate us from other realities is very thin, the Dark is overcoming the Light, and the Crone is in her Strength.  She wields the power to reach the Dark Lord and make the Door open so that we can look through.

Put yourself back in time to an agricultural village anywhere in northern Europe.  This was the time of the year when the last of Summer’s crops were gathered and stored for the coming Winter.  The pigs, cows, sheep, goats were slaughtered and prepared for storage.  Herbs were hung to be used during the dark times ahead.  This was the last outdoor celebration for a while.  It was not uncommon for several tribes or villages to come together at this time of year to conduct clan business and celebrate as a group because there was a knowledge that they would not be able to visit in the months ahead.  Sadly, not all would make it until Spring.  So the people came together one last time to visit and share and remember.

This time of year is for remembering, and dreaming, and foretelling.  Samhain is the New Year in the Celtic tradition.  It was the time to make final preparations for the Winter, and have one last feast before the snows locked the people in for the next few months.

So, how do Wiccans celebrate Samhain?  One of the ways we make preparations for the New Year in more modern times is to scry, or looking into the future so we can make plans for the coming year.  There are a multitude of ways to scry, and most are useful, if used properly.  One thing most people do not know is that the scrying should only take place on Samhain.  The day before is the Day of the Trickster, a day of misleadings and lies.  If you scry on that day, you will not get a truth, because the ancestors are not directing the action, the Trickster is.  The ancestors will not make themselves available until Samhain.  The doorway of the God is not yet open on the 30^th.

This is a celebration of the Dead.  Wiccans do not seek or embrace Death, instead we accept it as a natural transition into the next reality.  It is during this time that we take a few moments, or as long as we need, to mourn for those who have left us; or walked the bridge that the God and Goddess create into the reality on the other side of the Veil.  We mourn our losses as much as any other group; we just do not believe that Death is to be feared, simply accepted.  Samhain is the time that we visit with those who have are no longer with us in flesh.

Samhain is the one pre-Christian celebration that has never been fully incorporated into the Christian format.  It has been able to hang to more of the pagan beliefs than any other celebration.  For us it is the evening that matters, All Hallows Eve, Halloween, our night to howl, and the night that our ancestors howl.  The God has passed to the Death Lands, and He makes it possible for us to meet with, talk to, honor, and scry through our ancestors.  The Goddess, as the Crone, opens that Doorway as she takes her power in the night as the Hag.  The skies are filled with shades as the Great Hunt takes place, and we take part in the Dream as we dream our new reality.

In the midst of all the fun of Halloween, be sure to take a moment to remember those who have traveled ahead of you.  Invite them into your home and listen to their wisdom.  They still love you, and will give you valuable advice.  For a few minutes actually be a WITCH.  Celebrate the final Harvest, and cuddle up with a cup of chocolate, or cider, or tea in front of a fire.  Dream the dream that is you at your best, and prepare for the Winter.

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